Br3akfree Limited

Updated 13 April 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection was carried out on 5 March 2018 and was announced. We gave the provider 72 hour's notice as we wanted to ensure that someone would be available to support us with the inspection. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed relevant information that we had about the provider. We made contact with social and health professionals that the service worked with to obtain feedback about the service.

During the inspection we reviewed documents and records that related to people’s care and the management of the service. We reviewed two people’s care plans, which included risk assessments and three staff files which included pre-employment checks. We looked at other documents held at the service such as medicine, training and quality assurance records. We also spoke to the director, the registered manager and one staff member.

After the inspection we spoke to two relatives and one staff member by telephone. We spoke to relatives as people using the service that were supported with personal care, were not able to communicate with us on the telephone.

Updated 13 April 2018

We carried out an announced inspection of Br3akfree Limited on 5 March 2018. This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It primarily provides personal care to young adults with learning disabilities. At the time of the inspection, the service supported two people with personal care.

At our last inspection on 6 March 2017, the service was rated ‘Requires Improvement’. The service was in breach of regulations as the service had not completed assessments to determine people’s ability to make decisions in certain areas. During this inspection, we found improvements had been made and the service therefore has been rated ‘Good’.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and the associated regulations on how the service is managed.

Risks had been identified, assessed and information had been included on how to mitigate risks to ensure people received safe care. Staff were aware of how to identify abuse and knew who to report abuse to, both within the organisation and outside the organisation. Medicines were managed safely. Medicine records were completed accurately and staff had been trained with medicines.

Pre-employment checks had been carried out to ensure staff were fit and suitable to provide care and support to people safely. Staff told us they had time to provide person centred care and there were appropriate staffing levels. There were systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. Staff had been trained on infection control and were provided with personal protection equipment to ensure risks of infection were minimised when supporting people.

Staff had received the training required to perform their roles effectively. People were cared for by staff who felt supported. Spot checks had been carried out to observe staff performance to ensure people received the required care and support. Staff had been trained on the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and knew the principles of the Act. Assessments had been carried out using the MCA principles. People’s care and support needs were assessed regularly for effective outcomes. The service worked with health professionals if there were concerns about people’s health. Staff could identify the signs people gave when they were not feeling well and knew who to report to.

Relatives told us that staff were caring towards people and that they had a positive relationship with them. People’s privacy and dignity were respected by staff. People were involved with making decisions about their care and were encouraged to be independent.

Care plans were person centred and detailed people’s preferences, interests and support needs. Care plans contained information on how to communicate with people. Pre-assessment forms had been completed in full to assess people’s needs and their background to determine if the service can support people. People participated in various activities with staff. Relatives knew how to make complaints and staff were aware of how to manage complaints.

Staff told us that the service was well led. Relatives and staff were positive about the registered manager. People and relative’s feedback was sought from surveys to identify ways to make improvements to the service. Quality assurance systems were in place, which enabled the service to identify issues and take prompt action when required to ensure people received safe care at all times.